New Solihull Youth Hub to launch from start of April 2017 09 MAR 2017

In partnership with Solihull Council, St Basils will be launching the Solihull Youth Hub, a new initiative to tackle youth homelessness, on 3rd April 2017.

The Youth Hub will provide housing advice and specialist home options support to single young people aged 16 - 24 who are at risk of homelessness or in housing need.

It will enable the development of early intervention partnerships across community locations and fund specialist mental health support for young people, staff working with young people and parents and carers.

Operating for an initial term of 2 years the pilot will aim to accurately measure demand, capture the range of needs that young people are presenting with and highlight gaps in local services that need to be addressed.

People will be able to refer those they are concerned about, or themselves, online or by contacting the Youth Hub which will be based in Kingshurst, with outreach services available in Chelmsley Wood and Solihull Town Centre. Details of the referral process, service opening hours and contact information will be available on the St Basils website when the service launches.

Councillor Ken Hawkins, Cabinet Member for Environment, Housing and Regeneration, said: “To get this pilot up and running will be great for Solihull and it will provide much needed support to those in danger of becoming homeless.

“We are excited to be working with St Basils and adopting this new approach to ensure young adults in the borough are getting the support they need before they find themselves in serious trouble. We know that in most instances it is best for young people to be with their families and through targeted mediation, housing advice and housing options assistance St. Basil’s will support young people to return home and work towards independent living in a planned way.”

St Basils, a Midlands based charity, specialising in preventing homelessness in young adults aged 16 – 24, will deliver the youth hub service on behalf of the Council, working closely with Solihull Community Housing and other statutory services and partner organisations.

The model on which the service will be based was developed nationally following research which shows that working to prevent homelessness and encourage planned moves leads to better outcomes for young people and saves money across public services. It will complement other local initiatives providing routes into employment and education, while supporting the Council’s priorities of improving health, wellbeing and building stronger communities.

Lorna Esien, Deputy Chief Executive of St Basils added: “We are delighted to be part of this two year pilot to provide support to young people at risk of homelessness across Solihull. We have been working closely with the Council and local partners to make sure we can provide a positive model to prevent youth homelessness.

“We have worked in this field for 45 years and in Solihull for over 20 years, we know that the only way to have a positive impact on tackling the issue is through working with partners. We look forward to helping shape the positive futures of young people through this partnership.”